Translator: AnubisTL
As dusk fell, the amber sunlight cast its final rays across the sky, leaving behind a lingering warmth that gradually faded into the deepening twilight.
The acrid stench of sulfur permeated Needleleaf Valley, its steaming vapors refracting the setting sun into distorted, shimmering waves.
Six juvenile Earthstorm Bears sat in a circle around a boiling, high-temperature sulfur pool. Their thick fur was encrusted with pyrite crystals, forming what resembled thick, rocky armor.
Among them was Broken-Tooth Gor, the Earthstorm Bear Chieftain.
He was the largest of the group, his fur a deep yellow streaked with dark red. Numerous scars crisscrossed his body, and one of his tusks was broken—visible proof of his battles against formidable ferocious beasts and demonic creatures.
Within the Earthstorm Bear Clan, such marks were symbols of valor and honor, badges of pride.
Gor, like all the Earthstorm Bears, stirred the sulfur pool with his claws.
The young bears would periodically add special metallic ore sand to the pool, continuously enhancing its unique properties.
Copper-green bubbles burst incessantly, emitting corrosive hisses.
This was the clan's decades-old "claw-tempering" ritual. The sharper and tougher a bear's claws, the longer they could endure the sulfur pool's harsh conditions. After tempering, their claws would regenerate even stronger than before.
On a rocky outcrop in the northwest corner of the hot spring, several young bears peered over the edge, watching intently.
Gor stirred the pool with the greatest force, creating concentric ripples that swirled like whirlpools, far surpassing the efforts of the other Earthstorm Bears.
As time passed, one by one, the juvenile Earthstorm Bears began to withdraw from the pool, their paws burning with pain. They bowed their heads slightly to Chief Gor in a show of respect and reverence. After receiving a low growl of acknowledgment, they turned and departed. Only old Gor remained, continuing to temper his claws in the sulfurous water, even pouring the corrosive liquid over his body, which hissed and steamed.
While the chief was still immersed in the sulfur pool, Raymond, a two-year-old adult male Earthstorm Bear, crept furtively toward the area where the female bears were gathered. Grinning menacingly, he tossed a thunderbird wing hidden behind his back at one of the females.
In the culture of the Earthstorm Bear Clan, females were not bound to fixed mates and would accept courtship from multiple males simultaneously, but mating rights had to be earned through food offerings.
The female bear glanced at Raymond but neither accepted the thunderbird wing nor gave him a second look.
This was a clear rejection.
Though she wasn't loyal to a single mate, she remained loyal to the strongest Earthstorm Bear.
Chief Gor had claimed all the female bears as his own, strictly forbidding them from mating with other male Earthstorm Bears. Any male caught violating this rule would be beaten half to death and banished from the territory, while the female bears would be punished with prolonged food deprivation.
Undeterred by the risk, Raymond, the male Tyrant Bear, brazenly sat down beside the female Earthstorm Bear. He subtly stroked her hind leg with his tail, teasing her.
It was mating season, and Raymond's advances gradually stirred the female bear's primal instincts. She grew restless, her composure crumbling.
Noticing Chief Gor's absence, she finally shifted her massive hips, signaling Raymond to follow her into the dense thicket.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The bushes trembled and shook violently.
Ten minutes later.
Raymond, the male Tyrant Bear, emerged from the thicket, walking upright with a triumphant swagger. He immediately collided with the Earthstorm Bear Chieftain.
The chieftain's expression remained calm, but a dangerous glint flickered in his brown eyes.
"Raymond, you have crossed the line," he growled, his voice like thunder.
"Chief, please let me explain!" Raymond panicked inwardly.
Before he could finish speaking, the chieftain's massive paw slammed into him.
The seven-meter-tall juvenile Earthstorm Bear flew backward like a kite with a severed string. Its chest fur was matted and bloodied, the flesh deeply caved in, and its bones shattered.
The Earthstorm Bear Chieftain coldly strode forward, unleashing a relentless assault on the rule-breaking male bear. The male bear dared not retaliate, only whimpering and begging for mercy.
The other male bears remained silent as death.
Within minutes, Raymond the male bear lay motionless, his life force extinguished. He had been beaten to death.
Such an event was rare.
When facing juvenile Earthstorm Bears who broke the rules—especially their own offspring—Chief Gor usually chose to beat them half to death and banish them from the territory, rather than killing them outright.
Today, the old bear seemed unusually enraged.
"Let anyone dare defy me again, challenge my authority," he roared, his fur bristling. "I will snap their necks!"
The other Earthstorm Bears cowered into silence.
Only when he saw the fear flickering in their eyes, especially those of the male bears, did he nod in satisfaction.
With age, Old Gor's fur had lost its youthful luster, now streaked with lifeless gray patches. He could feel his strength waning, his physical attributes diminishing. Even his claw-tempering sessions were growing shorter.
The blade of time is a hundred times sharper than the fangs of any ferocious beast.
Not all creatures possess the dragonkind's ability to continuously grow stronger with age. Gor had long since passed his prime, and each day his power waned further.
This realization filled him with frustration and unease.
To maintain his dominance over the Earthstorm Bear Clan, the agitated Gor resorted to increasingly ruthless methods, slaughtering even his own offspring without mercy.
Suddenly, a rustling sound emerged from the pine forest ahead. The old Earthstorm Bear's ears perked up instantly as he straightened his massive frame and turned to investigate.
Another Earthstorm Bear pushed aside the obstructing vines and branches, revealing itself to the elder's gaze.
"My dear father, you're becoming more brutal by the day," Mobel remarked, his eyes sweeping over the corpse at Gor's feet.
"Mobel, my foolish son who once defied me—you're still alive?" Gor grinned, revealing the obsidian embedded in his toothless gums.
He sensed no threat from Mobel.
Though aged and weakened compared to its prime, the Earthstorm Bear Chieftain remained far stronger than ordinary bears.
"You come before me. What do you seek?" it growled. "To challenge my authority and status? Or merely to die?"
Its eyes flashed with murderous intent as razor-sharp claws extended from its paws.
Mobel bared his teeth, standing upright with arms crossed, and roared, "To kill you, take your place, and claim all your females, of course!"
Gor flew into a rage at these words.
Arching its back and bracing its hind legs, it lunged forward to crush the insolent cub.
But the moment Mobel finished his declaration, he whirled around and fled, dropping to all fours and sprinting away. Runes on his limbs glowed, making him lighter and faster.
"You can't escape! I'll slaughter you!"
The Earthstorm Bear Chieftain roared, its claws tearing through the ground as it charged like a cannonball, smashing through every obstacle in its path as it pursued Mobel.
The other Earthstorm Bears exchanged glances but made no move to intervene.
This challenge to the chieftain wasn't an external threat; the clan had no need to interfere.
(End of the Chapter)
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